Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia, Valhalla & Rune Factor Wii Coming to Europe

Whilst XSEED Games and Marvelous Entertainment USA are busy bringing a handful of titles to the US market, Rising Star Games has unleashed a bulging list showing its European release plans.

Rising Star Games and Marvelous Entertainment today hailed their overseas media event at this year’s Tokyo Games Show a success and feels buoyed by the positive reactions received for the products on show. Featuring playable code of the previously announced Little King’s Story for the very first time, there was also a debut for Muramasa: The Demon Blade to western audiences as well as the announcement of No More Heroes 2 by creator Suda51 himself. All three titles will be published by Rising Star Games in PAL territories during 2009/10.

Based on ancient Japanese lore, Muramasa: The Demon Blade plunges players into the mystical Genroku era, ruled by the skilled shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. However, this culture is threatened; Tokogawa’s thirst for power leads to a conflict over the enormously powerful, though cursed, Demon Blades. Used in hatred, drenched in blood, the cursed blades condemn those who use them to tragedy, madness and untimely death. Featuring hand-drawn 2D art reflecting the heritage and tone of the storyline, Muramasa transports players into the mythology envisioned by the creators of the highly praised Odin Sphere. Players take on the role of a male ninja or female kunoichi, utilising their ninja prowess to traverse the clever side-scrolling levels that feature vertical progression as well as the traditional horizontal stage advancement.

“We’re extremely happy with the interest shown for this event. We knew there was a lot of interest in this event from the number of journalists who confirmed their attendance in advance, both through us within Europe as well as on Marvelous’ side, but we didn’t expect the place to be packed out!”
- Martin Defries, managing director of Rising Star Games.

Meanwhile, Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games have also announced their plans for releases in the US market:

"This is going to be an especially exciting and special show for us as we a announcing new titles and also giving our audience an opportunity to see first hand some of our amazing games. Our XSEED Games partnership has proved fantastic so having them here with us to showcase our partnership titles is really important and appreciated."
- Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment.

"We are very proud of the line up of games being unveiled at this year’s TGS and to be able to participate with Marvelous Entertainment. The games we are showcasing are exceptional and very fun and engaging, so we look forward to giving consumers and guests an opportunity to see what’s in store before they are released starting later this year."
- Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games.

Arc Rise Fantasia (Wii)
From Marvelous Entertainment and Image Epoch, the same tandem that created the highly lauded Luminous Arc, comes Arc Rise Fantasia, an epic RPG exclusively developed for the Wii. Arc Rise Fantasia is a product of old and new, combining gorgeous graphics with modern gameplay while bringing classic Japanese high fantasy role-playing action involving airships and dragons, exclusively to the platform. Arc Rise Fantasia Wii is being co-developed by Image Epoch and scheduled for release 2009.

Flower, Sun, and Rain (NDS)
Flower, Sun, and Rain DS is a unique mystery adventure from the twisted mind behind Killer 7 and No More Heroes. Originally released on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and quickly gaining notoriety for its eccentricity, Flower, Sun, and Rain had never been available outside of Japan. This updated Nintendo DS release features all the creative quirks that made the original a cult hit while adding Touch Screen functionality and 50 new puzzles in what’s sure to please loyal fans of its creator, “Suda51.” The story starts on a tropical island in a seaside resort unlike any other called the Flower, Sun, and Rain resort. But all is not well in paradise as Sumio Mondo, a searcher, has been urgently summoned to the island by the owner of the hotel. Upon arrival, Sumio becomes caught in a time loop as the events of the same day are played out over and over again, with each day coming to an explosive end at the hands of some terrorists that have targeted the island for an unknown reason. With the Flower, Sun, and Rain as his base of operations, Sumio travels the island questioning the residents and following up on clues in order to get to the bottom of the mystery. Flower, Sun, and Rain DS is scheduled for release 2009.

Rune Factory: Frontier (Wii)
From the creators of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory for the DS comes the first installment of Rune Factory for a home console. Developed exclusively for Wii, Rune Factory: Frontier features stunning graphics and takes full advantage of the Wii’s unique controls to fully immerse players in the Rune Factory universe. Rune Factory: Frontier incorporates an open-ended structure that allows players to choose the type of game they wish to experience. Whether it’s growing crops, expanding the town, fighting (or befriending) monsters or even falling in love, the experience is unique to each player. Rune Factory: Frontier Wii is scheduled for release Q1 2009. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

MURAMASA: THE DEMON BLADE (Wii)
Based on ancient Japanese lore, Murumasa: The Demon Blade (known in Japan as “Oboro Muramasa Youtouden) plunges players into the mystical Genroku era, ruled by the skilled shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. But this culture is threatened; Tokogawa’s thirst for power leads to a conflict over the enormously powerful, though cursed, Demon Blades. Used in hatred, drenched in blood, the cursed blades condemn those who use them to tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. As chaos spreads, denizens from the netherworld breach their realm as these malevolent swords summon evil spirits - and the Dragon and Demon Gods as well. Featuring hand-drawn 2D art reflecting the heritage and tone of the storyline, Muramasa: The Demon Blade transports players into a little known mythology, envisioned by the creators of the critically acclaimed Odin Sphere. Players take on the role of a male ninja or female kunoichi, utilizing their ninja prowess to traverse the clever side-scrolling levels that feature vertical progression as well as the traditional horizontal stage advancement. Muramasa: The Demon Blade Wii is scheduled for release in 2009.

Is there no end to the brilliance of RSG, MMV USA and XSEED right now? Share your thoughts on what other games you would like to see translated for the Western market...